David Beckham has never really been into quiet years, but even by his standards 2003 has been spectacular.

It was dominated by his much hyped transfer to Real Madrid, which was eventually confirmed on 18 June after months of fervoured speculation.

Amid the fanfare of his move away from Old Trafford and reports of a rift with manager Sir Alex Ferguson, his achievement in winning his sixth Premiership winners' medal with Manchester United barely got a mention.

And as soon as he arrived at the Bernabeu, many were predicting the 28-year-old would struggle to find a place in a midfield that already boasted the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and, at the time, Claude Makelele.

However, Beckham has already established himself amongst the 'galacticos' and appears to have won over the critics for now.

Despite the upheaval, his performances for England remained astonishingly consistent as he captained his country to Euro 2004 qualification.